This invention relates in general to digital imaging, and more particularly, to creating digital mosaics employing separate images as the individual tiles.
Prior art data base management systems have allowed a user, desiring to locate a particular photograph amongest a group of photographs, accesses a photographic search engine via a network (LAN, telephone, internet, etc.). The search engine provides access to a database of records containing photographic images with related text and other identifying information. The search engine locates photographic images of interest using the text and identifying information, and displays selected images singly or in a matrix. The display may optionally show some of the related text or identifying information. The user may optionally choose one of the images to view an enlargment or to view the related text or identifying information. Subsequent actions may then be taken (e.g. purchase of image, modification of image, etc.) Such a system is illustrated in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, a user chooses to view a group of images, where the arrangement of the group of images may be random or may have some organization. The images may have text or identifying information associated with them. The user accesses a matrix of images via a network (LAN, telephone, internet, etc.). The user may choose to view the matrix, add or edit images, or search for images that are related to each other. To view the matrix, the user is presented with a matrix of images. The user is provided controls to adjust the view of the matrix, such as pan controls (move right, move left, move up, move down, etc.) and zoom controls are provided (zoom in, zoom out). In addition, a navigation view is provided that shows the portion of the matrix that is currently being viewed by the user.
Numerous prior art disclosures exist that illustrate methods for forming mosaics and composites from images. A number of these prior art teachings are discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,121 teaches a user interface for displaying database records as clusters wherein icons representing clusters, or records, are selected for zoom in features. This prior art device requires a display map to operate and provides no insight towards the building of a larger image from discrete images.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,808 is a Method for Merging Images that deals with the reduction in edge artifacts when image data from one image is merged with data from another. This prior art disclosure device only merges images and provides no usefulness towards the building of a larger image from discrete images.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,085 is a Neighborhood-based Merging of Image Data that again deals with the blending of merged pixels and again provides no usefulness towards the building of a larger image from discrete images.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,085 is a Mosaic Construction disclosure that provides a system that can create composite image using electron micrographs. While teaching the creating of larger composites this prior art disclosure provides a system that can create images from only a single source and provides no usefulness towards the building of a larger image from numerous sources.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,085 is a Neighborhood-based Merging of Image Data that again deals with the blending of merged pixels and again provides no usefulness towards the building of a larger image from discrete images.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,754 is a disclosure that deals with the Forming of a Composite Image From a Mosaic of Images. While useful in creating a larger composite image form numerous detailed photos, a high level view of the overall image is required to guide the placement of the higher resolution images and provides no usefulness towards the building of a larger image from discrete images without an overall view of the image to be created.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,032 is a patent disclosure that creates a mosaic from a plurality of input images. While useful in creating a larger composite image from numerous images, the main thrust of this prior art disclosure is to align images from a common source and provides no usefulness towards the building of a larger image from discrete images that are obtained from numerous sources.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,590 is a patent that teaches displaying a time varying data on a map. While useful in creating a larger composite image from numerous images and providing zoom capabilities about a node, the main thrust of this prior art disclosure is related to time varying inputs and does not teach the building of a larger image from discrete images that are obtained from sources that are not time varying.
From the foregoing discussion it should be readily apparent that there remains a need in the art towards the building of a larger image from discrete images that are obtained from numerous sources.
It is an object of the present invention addresses the shortcomings within the prior art by providing a method and system that is useful in creating a larger image from images that are obtained from numerous sources.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a larger image created from smaller images that has zoom capabilities that can be either text based searching or searching through the larger image by viewing the smaller images in various zoom levels.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a larger image created from smaller images that has the ability to place the smaller images within the larger image in accordance with a predetermined criteria.
The larger image referred to herein as the xe2x80x9cquiltxe2x80x9d starts with a large picture, which within the preferred embodiment is a picture of the earth from space. The xe2x80x9cquiltxe2x80x9d is actually composed of tiles and the quilt starts with a finite number of default images. These tiles are replaced with the user-submitted pictures, placed that can be placed randomly or with any of a number of predetermined placing methods. The goal of the xe2x80x9cquiltxe2x80x9d is to be composed of the (eventual) sum total of images uploaded, which sum total is configurable and modifiable.
The web site visitor uploads a digital image file, in a fashion like PictureThis or PhotoChat, where it conforms to a certain aspect ratio. Also, there is a form with check boxes and text fields where they can include how the picture was taken and comment why they submitted their picture and what the end of the millenium means to them. If the image is accepted (based on Kodak editorial guidelines), it will be added to a generated Flashpix image of the quilt.
A visitor to the web site will also be able to pan around the quilt image; zoom in on an area; select any particular image title and reveal that tile""s input dataxe2x80x94i.e., what the person who submitted the image had to say about it. They will also be able to search the quilt, in a similar fashion to a web search engine, for particular images based on key words or themes.
An optional attribute of this project is to build the quilt with imaging algorithms that match hues and values of submitted images and create a recognizable pattern in the overall quilt image. This pattern could be either a larger image or symbol, such as the K-logo shape or the composite similarity of the each image, for example.
As the xe2x80x9cquiltxe2x80x9d progresses and the upload option eventually concludes, various output options can be employed for displaying the quilt. These output options include displaying the xe2x80x9cquiltxe2x80x9d as an internet site of its own, or as any of a variety of display options. One of these output options relates to displaying the largest image ever made, such as museums, posters, magazine stories, billboards, public busses, or Kodarama in Times Square.